Infinite

I'm Not A Fool

𝄆 ♫♪ 𝄇
Well I'm not a fool
Broken by the pain
I'm not a fool
You left drowning in the rain
I'm not a fool
Wasting days away
Yes I'm a fool
Yes I'm a fool
Wondering why you didn't stay
𝄆 ♫♪ 𝄇

Luke's tears fell onto the guitar, trailing down to the floor. He held it close to him, the strings making marks in his arm and his sobs wracked through his chest. After letting go of Mari—pushing her out of his life—he felt lost. She was everything that he wanted. Musical, talented, brave, sincere, and beautiful. But he couldn't find out about big life changes long after the fact.

"Luke, seriously, you've been moping for two whole days. What is up? Seriously, man." Alex knew what Luke was like when he was in the dumps about someone he liked. It happened a few times before they died, and it always brought down the morale of the entire band. Julie even felt it, but she was also focusing on school work for the time being and her individual performance that she had to give the following week.

"Nothing. I think I just need to be alone." Luke didn't face Alex, but Alex knew that he was crying. And it pained him, but he respected his wishes. And promised to tell Reggie that as well.

"Of course." Alex poofed out of the place and let him stay in the studio alone.

If it weren't for the sight of lilies in the garden that was in the back of the studio, he never would've realized that he needed to tell Mari what he was feeling. The lilies looked the exact same as the ones in front of Mari's old house. The white petals glimmered under the sunlight and the violets gleamed in the same color as her eyes.

It managed to inspire an entire song, one that illustrated how much he felt like they had disconnected. His reaction might've been severe, but after his mother's reactions to things that he did, he couldn't take a chance on his heart. He was going to live forever and a heartbreak would only make it feel longer. He didn't want to play the fool for a girl who would eventually grow up and leave him behind.

Mari, who also had no idea what was going on with him, opened the door to the music studio and listened. She couldn't bring herself to walk inside, but the melody was something she couldn't stop listening to. If she knew anything about heartbreak, she knew that was what he was feeling at that very moment. And her own tears fell when she figured out the true meaning behind his song.

"I'm sorry, Luke," Mari said once he finished his song. "I'll tell you everything, if you want to listen." She shut the door to the studio behind her. "There's so many things—" Another blue flash emanated from Luke's chest.

Mari brought her hand up to her mouth to cover up the gasp that escaped her lips, doing her best to keep calm instead of lashing out the way he had to her for the last few days. She didn't know what to think of it, but watching him fall to the ground in pain brought her straight into reality. They clearly cared for each other, and nothing else mattered.

"Luke, are you okay?" She rushed over to him and completely forgot she couldn't touch him. Her attempt to make sure he was okay failed miserably when her hand went right through his.

"I'm okay. I promise." Luke looked straight into her eyes, and it seemed to keep the tears at bay. "Really, Mare."

"I can't lose you, too." Mari wished she could just hold his hand and know that he wouldn't leave her. So many wishes and not enough stars. "What are those blue flashes?"

"I don't really know. We've all been getting them since we missed the dance. But, you're not losing me yet." Luke promised. "Now, why don't you tell me 'everything'."

"You want to know everything?" She didn't know anyone cared enough. That it was possible for anyone to care enough. All her life, she wondered if someone wanted to know about her and wanted to see her smile and cry and hold her through it all. Maybe Luke was that person.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have asked." They were both sitting behind the couch, Mari against the back of it and Luke across from her. His black and white, scuffed up, dirty sneakers were in between her dark blue, almost perfectly clean ones. "Marietta, I care about you. It's why I was hurt when I didn't know you had moved out."

"I know." Mari's eyes flickered to the floor, before starting to tell him about everything that happened in her life. She started with her childhood and the couple of memories of her mom. Because her mother died so young, Mari didn't know much about her aside from the fact that she was a spitting image of her mother at the same age. Then, she detailed her years alone with her father and growing up motherless and how angry she was with her father when he brought her a new mother.

It took her a lot to talk about her father's passing and how sick he got for months before. Luke got closer, catching her tears on his sneakers. And after letting go of all that pain, she went into her life after his death. Her life with her step-mother was as good as it would've been with either one of her parents, at least that's how she described it. If it weren't for the permanent silence, her childhood with Laura would've been perfect.

"Right at the beginning of the school year, she changed. The rules got stricter and the punishments worse. One day pretty early on, I forgot to do the dishes and I was grounded for a week. I didn't know why, but I didn't know what else to do. Even if it was a bad day, she wasn't that mean. And every time I did something she didn't like, I would be punished further. You saw how mad she got when I made too much noise." Mari's fingers trailed down her legs down to her sneakers, rubbing them nervously. "The day you guys performed at the club was the day I left her. We got in a huge fight and she told me the only reason she was keeping me around was because if she raised me until I turned eighteen, she'd get half of my father's things. If she didn't, I'd get it all. Up until then, she thought she was getting everything. And I couldn't be around someone who treated me like that over something as stupid as money."

"Wait, so it happened the same day?" Luke asked, then realized how strong she must've been.

"Yeah. I didn't tell you guys immediately because it was all still soaking in for me. I never wanted to keep something from you. Ever. I'm pretty sure the last hour has proved that. There's just a lot going on in my life and it just might take a little more time for me to tell you something. It doesn't mean I don't plan to tell you, I just might need a little more time." Luke understood completely. It was the same for him. When he left his parents, he didn't even officially tell the guys for almost a week.

"Hey, I didn't realize everything that went into it and made some bad choices." Luke showed her his callused hands and she held out her own on top of his. "I can't always promise I'll make the right choice, but next time, I'll try to ask before making assumptions."

"I think that sounds like a good compromise." Mari smiled and tilted her head. It'd been a long time since she felt that happy.

"We also might want to move. The guys aren't hiding themselves very well." Mari wiped her tears and stood up, seeing Reggie and Alex smiling sheepishly. All she could do was roll her eyes in response and hope her eyes weren't puffy from all the crying.

"So, lovebirds, did you two finally make up?" Reggie asked, though he and Alex both knew the answer.

"Does it look like it to you?" Mari asked, though her puffy eyes definitely gave them mixed signals.

"Um... yes?" Reggie, you're adorable and totally clueless. "No? I don't know!"

"Yes, Reggie. They made up." Alex sighed. "I'm sorry about him."

"It's fine. I need to go home, though. Homework still exists. But, I'll come by tomorrow or the day after to check up on you and make sure you don't make any really big, stupid mistakes." Mari left the guys to their devices.

"So, what is up with her?" Alex asked.

"She found a new home." Luke looked at the door, as if he was expecting her to walk right back in, and knew that being "just friends" would never cut it.

Author's Note: Okay, so I just have to say this is song is by Charlie Gillespie and it's amazing. I can't believe that I'm already this far into the book, but I hope you all have liked it thus far. Remember to vote and let me know what you think in the comments. All the best, MistyRider921.